Today, my friend and I wanted to try something that we had wanted to try for a long time. We wanted to see which one would be the fastest: The Mercedes S 3.0 or the BMW 5 2.8i.
So we got to try them on a long straight road, and we lined the cars up side by side. We made a kickdown and both the cars accelerated. All the way up to 100 km/h it was pretty much a tie, although the Mercedes was maybe like 40 cm ahead, but at 100 and above, the Mercedes that I was driving in left the BMW behind, and won by many cars' lengths.

I should add that the Mercedes S weights a little over 2 tons, while the bmw weights about 1700 kgs, and that My engine wasn't warmed up unlike the BMW. To be honest, I had expected the BMW to be slightly faster, because BMW is usually more sporty than Mercedes, but as I said, the Mercedes won, and we tried racing against each other 4 times, and each time, the result was the same..

Class is not about raw speed, nor is it about snobbishness (at which point Mercedes has always won by a looooong stretch).

I must admit the current BMW lineup doesn't do anything for me (except maybe the 118d), they've lost their style since the new chief designer took office a few years ago.
But what BMW lost Mercedes never had in the first place: subdued class, pragmatism.

A BMW is a statement: I've a good car and I don't want to flaunt its price.
A Merc is also a statement: I've an expensive car and I want everyone to know it.

Quoting Jwenting (Reply 1):Class is not about raw speed, nor is it about snobbishness (at which point Mercedes has always won by a looooong stretch).

LOL! that completely depends on who you ask.

Quoting Jwenting (Reply 1):they've lost their style since the new chief designer took office a few years ago.

I agree with you on this one

Quoting Jwenting (Reply 1):A BMW is a statement: I've a good car and I don't want to flaunt its price.
A Merc is also a statement: I've an expensive car and I want everyone to know it.

Again, that is not necessarily true. You buy a Mercedes because it's well built. It lasts for many years, and my father's car is 14 years old now.. There is nothing wrong with it. BMW is for flashy people who want to show how cool they are if you ask me.

OK...so you beat your buddy in a drag race and all of a sudden it's a somber day for BMW fans worldwide?

First of all lets get straight what we're comparing. You have an 300 S? What year is it? How many kms does it have? I wasn't aware that there was a standard 3.0 litre V6 offered on that generation S-Class, maybe in the beginning years, the later offerings were the 2.8 V6 that Princess Di died in and the 3.2 litre V6. I thought the only 300 was the TD though I could be mistaken.

Next your friend has a 528, its probably not an AC Schnitzer model like the one in the photo, is it manual or auto, etc etc.

I would have thought the opposite than what you suggested for after 100kmh, all of a sudden at 100km you pulled way ahead of him by several car lenghts and are roads in Denmark really conducive to this kind of activity (you did it together four times)?

Anyway just because the S-class outran the 528 doesn't mean that its sportier, there's more to sportiness than acceleration. An F-150 can probably beat a Mini Cooper to 60mph does that mean that its sportier? I'm assuming you didn't test the two cars through the slalom either.

Quoting Airxliban (Reply 3):
You have an 300 S? What year is it? How many kms does it have? I wasn't aware that there was a standard 3.0 litre V6 offered on that generation S-Class

hey.. its from 1992, it has driven 209.000 km and no it isn't called a 3.0 but a 3.2, but in reality it is a 3.0SE, or so my father told me..

Quoting Airxliban (Reply 3):
Next your friend has a 528, its probably not an AC Schnitzer model like the one in the photo, is it manual or auto, etc etc.

I would have thought the opposite than what you suggested for after 100kmh, all of a sudden at 100km you pulled way ahead of him by several car lenghts and are roads in Denmark really conducive to this kind of activity (you did it together four times)?

Anyway just because the S-class outran the 528 doesn't mean that its sportier, there's more to sportiness than acceleration. An F-150 can probably beat a Mini Cooper to 60mph does that mean that its sportier? I'm assuming you didn't test the two cars through the slalom either.

Both the cars had automatic gearboxes, but the bmw has something inbetween actually.. you are able to shift gears in manually aswell. As for the roads, no there are not many places in denmark where this is possible, but around 2 km from where I live, there is a 2km long stretch along the sea with 2 lanes in each direction and very few cars at this time of the week, so at 140km/h we had to brake and turn around.

As for the thread title: don't take it too seriously. It is indeed to piss off certain people

Wow, I am so sick of these wars started by AirPacific of Mercedes versus other car makers. I'm not really sure this proves anything, compaing the acceleration of 2 totally different cars with almost 40hp difference, why even bother mentioning this?

For me, BMW builds the better car reagrdless of what your meaningless tests says. They actually build cars with manual gearboxes, and ones that don't rank at the very bottom of the relalibility studies. BMW also (at least in the US) has the highest residual value of any luxury car, to me, thats also very important.

Quoting Flight152 (Reply 12):
Wow, I am so sick of these wars started by AirPacific of Mercedes versus other car makers. I'm not really sure this proves anything, compaing the acceleration of 2 totally different cars with almost 40hp difference, why even bother mentioning this?

Read above, and you'll find an answer. Also, how many wars did I start? As far as I am aware of this is the first one that I start.. I have just participated in the other ones..

Quoting Flight152 (Reply 12):
For me, BMW builds the better car reagrdless of what your meaningless tests says. They actually build cars with manual gearboxes, and ones that don't rank at the very bottom of the relalibility studies. BMW also (at least in the US) has the highest residual value of any luxury car, to me, thats also very important.

Oh really? I thought that Lexus was no. 1 in the States.. also I just read a review of a couple of different SUV's and the Mercedes M-class came in as a second after the Audi Q7 with both the BMW and the Lexus at the lower end of the scale.. source: Autobild.. some german car magazine

lol nice try! I knew it was coming yes, in this contest I would have guessed that the bmw would be faster, but it wasn't.. but if it had been an E-class against a 5-series, I would still think that the e-class would be the fastest one.. idk though

Oh really? I thought that Lexus was no. 1 in the States.. also I just read a review of a couple of different SUV's and the Mercedes M-class came in as a second after the Audi Q7 with both the BMW and the Lexus at the lower end of the scale.. source: Autobild.. some german car magazine

No, BMW/Mini won as the overall brand. Audi Q7?! It's not even at dealerships yet.

well good for you! and yes, in Denmark, the Audi Q7 came out about a week ago or so.
Again, according to the test I read in Autobild, the Mercedes was ranked as #2 right after the Audi Q7, and both the BMW and the Lexus was in the lower end of the 8 different SUV's that they tested.

the .2 liters of displacement will make a difference at the top end. I doubt either of these cars are terribly fast... but, I WILL guarantee you, take them off of the straight roads and you'll see which car is better. The BMW will outperform the Mercedes on twisty roads any day of the week... the S class will become bulbous, overly heavy and poorly suited for REALLY spirited driving. To me, thats sort of like the myth of the American muscle car. Sure, they are fast as hell straight off the line, but they also cant be taken through any turns without compromising control. BMWs have it all.

Quoting AA777 (Reply 32):the .2 liters of displacement will make a difference at the top end. I doubt either of these cars are terribly fast... but, I WILL guarantee you, take them off of the straight roads and you'll see which car is better. The BMW will outperform the Mercedes on twisty roads any day of the week... the S class will become bulbous, overly heavy and poorly suited for REALLY spirited driving. To me, thats sort of like the myth of the American muscle car. Sure, they are fast as hell straight off the line, but they also cant be taken through any turns without compromising control. BMWs have it all.

First of all, I think both cars did 0-100 km/h at around 8 seconds.. dont know if thats fast or not.. depends on who you are. I am sure the 5 series will be handling better in extreme curves, but then again, how many times will you need to drive like that? 99.99% of the time you don't drive that fast unless it is a straight road, and please keep in mind that the mercedes s also is about 400-500 kg heavier than the 5 series.. that alone makes a huge difference.. its not a fair comparison like that, and I promise you that if you had tested the e-class and the bmw 5-series against each other there would be a very little difference.

Well.. Mercs usually plays with the torque, with it being available at most rev range, while BMW usually plays it at lower end (for acceleration), which translates to the Merc having a constant acceleration, even at high speed, while the BMW will suffer to accelerate at high speeds.

Also, a BMW 528i E39 is really a junk (that comes out from my mouth, as a BMW fan - with all the cars my family own are BMWs), because it is really underperforming! If you do look closely at the specs, this car only produces 193hp - this is due to emission tax bracket that the car is aimed at or so I believe, and 193 was the limit of that bracket or something. If you look at another E39 525i, you'd notice that the engine is basically the same as a previous 523i, with 2.5L displacement, yet, the power it produces reaches 192hp (consider the 523i at 171hp). And if you really want to look closely, the 530i E39 produces 231hp... so that little .2L difference actually means a lot! (Compare the newest Merc 3.5L V6 at 272hp, and a BMW 3.0L at 258hp - [265hp in 130i] - shows that BMW really is playing the horsepower)

Quoting Flight152 (Reply 30):Mercedes M-class came in as a second after the Audi Q7 with both the BMW and the Lexus at the lower end of the scale.. source: Autobild.. some german car magazine

Consider this: Current X5 was launched in late 1999 (with a facelift in '03). Current Lexus RX was launched in early '03 (with engine refinements late last year - rising from 330 to 350). Current ML? - '05! and Q7? - '05 as well!

That figure you refer to is purely based on sales of '05 I'd suspect, and this really shows how people are really looking at newer designs and technology!

Quoting StudentFlyer (Reply 39):
Well.. Mercs usually plays with the torque, with it being available at most rev range, while BMW usually plays it at lower end (for acceleration), which translates to the Merc having a constant acceleration, even at high speed, while the BMW will suffer to accelerate at high speeds.

Also, a BMW 528i E39 is really a junk (that comes out from my mouth, as a BMW fan - with all the cars my family own are BMWs), because it is really underperforming! If you do look closely at the specs, this car only produces 193hp - this is due to emission tax bracket that the car is aimed at or so I believe, and 193 was the limit of that bracket or something. If you look at another E39 525i, you'd notice that the engine is basically the same as a previous 523i, with 2.5L displacement, yet, the power it produces reaches 192hp (consider the 523i at 171hp). And if you really want to look closely, the 530i E39 produces 231hp... so that little .2L difference actually means a lot! (Compare the newest Merc 3.5L V6 at 272hp, and a BMW 3.0L at 258hp - [265hp in 130i] - shows that BMW really is playing the horsepower)

All of this is also the impression that I got, but the Mercedes S isn't built to drive like a sportscar anyway, but to drive like a limousine. I am sure Mercedes could pump more horsepowers out of the engines in the S-class, but that is not the image that they want. Would you happen to know how many horsepowers the Mercedes I was driving has? I have been trying to find the information on the internet without any luck.. I think it is around 220 but I am not too sure about it.

Quoting StudentFlyer (Reply 39):
That figure you refer to is purely based on sales of '05 I'd suspect, and this really shows how people are really looking at newer designs and technology!

It was not built on sales, but interior, handling, etc, etc. But I see your point. I don't think the Lexus is that old though.

Yes, IIRC, it was around 218hp for a 3.2L W140 - (how many cars acheive their stated horsepowers anyway if you do a dyno test...). I believe you were in a 300 S (or SEL) i would assume...

Going back to my experience in my dad's 4.4L X5, and comparing it with an ML320 of a friend's, I do notice the frugal acceleration in the X5, but at higher speeds, you really have to push the pedal really hard before you could accelerate more, whereas the ML has a more constant acceleration, even without stepping the pedal that much. Acceleration between 100 to 140 km/h is a breeze, although afterwards the car starts to suffer compared to the X5. So that just shows you on the average speed band, I'd imagine the ML500 (even the 430) beating the 4.4L X5 anyday! BMWs are more of a traffic-light sprint car...

Quoting StudentFlyer (Reply 41):Yes, IIRC, it was around 218hp for a 3.2L W140 - (how many cars acheive their stated horsepowers anyway if you do a dyno test...). I believe you were in a 300 S (or SEL) i would assume...

yes, thats exactly the car, that I was driving in

Quoting StudentFlyer (Reply 41):Going back to my experience in my dad's 4.4L X5, and comparing it with an ML320 of a friend's, I do notice the frugal acceleration in the X5, but at higher speeds, you really have to push the pedal really hard before you could accelerate more, whereas the ML has a more constant acceleration, even without stepping the pedal that much. Acceleration between 100 to 140 km/h is a breeze, although afterwards the car starts to suffer compared to the X5. So that just shows you on the average speed band, I'd imagine the ML500 (even the 430) beating the 4.4L X5 anyday! BMWs are more of a traffic-light sprint car...

the old M-class is rubbish btw.. the new one is much better, and I am saying this as a Mercedes fan. Are you talking about the newest one or the old one?

Well, I just went on a 200 kilometer trip (as a passenger) in a brandnew BMW750i and it was very very comfortable and relaxing!! I haven't sat in a Mercedes for a while but can't imagine anything to beat this experience. For me BMW is

I think it is sad that on the basis of a couple of spur of the moment tests that you have come to the conclusion it is a sad day for BMW owners. IMO every day is a sad day for BMW owners; knowing you are waking up in the morning and going to have to cut up grandparents driving to the store, learner drivers, running red lights and driving aggressively. I'd be sad too!

Either way you make the test sound apparently so conclusive when in fact it has more holes than an old sweater! There are a thousand and one different factors that could have altered the result.
-Different engine size
-Different tyres
-Road condition
-Mechanical condition
Need I go on?

Quoting AA777 (Reply 32):The BMW will outperform the Mercedes on twisty roads any day of the week... the S class will become bulbous, overly heavy and poorly suited for REALLY spirited driving.

True. Those S Classes drove like battleships, solidly built but not the fastest machines on the planet. In 1998 my father went to a Merc dealer and was offered a new S320, the new models were imminent so it was a good deal. He went for a test drive and said it was quite hopeless with such a small engine in such a large vehicle. He bought an E Class instead.

Quoting Airxliban (Reply 3): I wasn't aware that there was a standard 3.0 litre V6 offered on that generation S-Class, maybe in the beginning years, the later offerings were the 2.8 V6 that Princess Di died in and the 3.2 litre V6.

An S320? The humiliation? Couldn't Dodi Fayed pony up for an S600? In case you hadn't guessed my opinion of Diana was and still is pretty low. But that is beside the point.

Quoting AirPacific747 (Reply 40):All of this is also the impression that I got, but the Mercedes S isn't built to drive like a sportscar anyway, but to drive like a limousine.

That generation of S Class isn't. I haven't driven the 2006 S Class but I had plenty of experience driving the previous incarnation which was pretty spritely. I drove a 5 litre version for a number of months and felt it was near impossible to crash, not that I was driving it like an asshole, but the way it felt approaching corners at quite high speed and when driving on country roads. This was 310bhp, I expect the S55 AMG and bi-turbo S600 which were over 500bhp IIRC to be pretty impressive drives when taken hard. Whether the high end 7 Series offered the same experience I'm not sure, I never drove one, but I expect so.

Then again you flick the switch on the dash and turn off the sports suspension setup you turn it back into a real limousine. I loved that car

No, both of them are identical at 507 hp and 520 Nm torque from the 4999 cm³

Quoting Lamedianaranja (Reply 45):Well, I just went on a 200 kilometer trip (as a passenger) in a brandnew BMW750i and it was very very comfortable and relaxing!! I haven't sat in a Mercedes for a while but can't imagine anything to beat this experience. For me BMW is

Agree! Nothing beats the 7 series I have to say! Having driven the E66 735Li for almost 3 years, it feels like other cars aren't as comfortable... I'm going to have to blame my dad for buying the car, because I don't really enjoy driving other cars now ><